Author: Reid Hansen

Social media–especially Twitter–has been impacted by this past presidential election. Not a day that goes by where the media doesn’t go absolutely wild over Trump’s blatant, and often overdone, tweets. The company and its founders are benefiting greatly from the undeniable attention the social network is receiving. However, active Twitter users know that it is not just the President who is loud on Twitter. It’s also the people who oppose him. Particularly for the past ten months, Twitter has been a political battleground. Many passionate people use Twitter to relieve political angst, often in a way that leads to a loss...

As a vocal conservative, a certain conversation comes to mind that I, along with many other conservatives, have heard and endured throughout higher education. This conversation, of course, begins with: “You’re only Republican because your parents are.” Lying under this statement is the implication that progressivism comes only from free thought and intellectual rebellion, and that conservatism is a lazy, second-hand philosophy. But, is this true? Psychology Today offers a well-studied and tested theory, referred to as “groupthink”, to explain this liberal accusation. Groupthink, according to the popular publication, “occurs when a group values harmony and coherence over accurate analysis...

Independence day is an exclusively American holiday where families come together, eat potato salad, explode fireworks, and celebrate how our incredible country came to be. This past Fourth of July, however, was not so joyous and patriotic for the family of Officer Miosotis Familia. Officer Familia, a black, Dominican 12-year veteran of the New York Police Departments’s anti-crime unit, was shot and killed by Alexander Bonds, aged 34. Familia was stationed in the Bronx and was known by locals as “a good policewoman” and was praised for always saying “hello” and her ability to speak fluent Spanish. If Officer Familia was reflected...

Scientific research plays a crucial role in politics. Scientific evidence guided some of America’s biggest public policy efforts, including the space race in the 1960’s, AIDS research in the 1980s, and climate policy in recent decades. However, we now find ourselves in a nasty political environment with two dueling political parties. One has to wonder where scientific policy fits into this disaster. “The Party of Science” The Democratic Party claims the title of being the “Party of Science.” Mainly, this is derived from the left’s stance on climate change and global warming. This is understandable: there is a profusion of research suggesting that our currently...

As Ramadan comes to a close, it’s important to remember how lucky we are to live in a country that allows us celebrate our own religions, or lack thereof because it is not that easy for the rest of the world. Over the last few months, terrorist attacks have been more publicized and prevalent. We have seen devastating attacks take place in several western civilizations including Manchester, Paris, Stockholm, and even Ohio State University. If you watch or follow any form of news, you have to ask yourself: “Why are these attacks getting worse and why are they hitting closer to home?” The President said...